GoFundMe campaign helps local family after losing ‘all physical belongings’

Left: Ben and Damie McGillivray with their sons, Dominic and Max. Right: TheMcGillivray house after being destroyed by fire. Submitted photos.

After losing all of their physical possessions in a devastating house fire, a local family’s GoFundMe exceeded the $5,000 fundraising goal in under two days.

While the McGillivray family was insured and stated that “the insurers have been great thus far,” parents Damie and Ben said “the costs of replacing our physical possessions adds up quickly while still focusing on maintaining our business and a normal life for our children.” Their sons Max and Dominic are two and four years old.

The McGillivrays not only lost their “dream home” that they built only two and a half years ago in the Monday, Jul. 1, 2019 house fire on Greenfield Road, but also their passports, birth certificates, Ben’s wedding ring, the children’s baby books, and a baptism gown that Damie’s father had as a child.

Photo by First Response Media.

Submitted photo.

Submitted photo.

The McGillivray family. Submitted photo.

The GoFundMe campaign was created by friend Jessie Morton-Boehme within hours of her hearing about the fire. The trending campaign has amassed 48 donors and $5,850 in two days.

Damie described the community support as overwhelming.

“Family, friends, work associates, social communities and complete strangers have banded together to piece together our lives,” she said. “The amount of love and support we feel is immense, and we are humbled and grateful from the bottom of our hearts.”

Damie is currently living with her parents in Sittsville while Ben is staying with friends in Kingston so he can continue working.

The family is planning to use the donations to buy necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, dog food, diapers for Max, and a lunchbox and backpack for Dominic.

“We will use funds to slowly rebuild what we have lost. Every day were presented with new things we require,” said Damie McGillivray. “Clothing, basic necessities that you really don’t think of.”

And despite having surpassed the GoFundMe goal, the McGillavrays are welcoming further donations to aid them in this sudden and devastating situation.

“We’re still in the process of adding up our life to see how much we lost,” Damie expressed, “Although you cannot put a price on some of it.”To view the GoFundMe account or contribute, click here.